Kaizen with Krystal

WHAT'S THE PROB BOB? Lower back pain bothering you? Or maybe your neck is cramping and stiff? Your shoulders feel like they're on fire? Your pillow isn't doing it for you anymore. Your quality of sleep is lacking, which impacts how you go about your day. It impacts how you show up for yourself and for others. Your body aches and yearns for a solution, but maybe you don't believe in the culture of Western medicine, of downing prescription and painkillers, and you're left wondering why this pain won't go away. Or maybe you don't have the financial means or the luxury of time right now to visit a doctor.  Or maybe, just maybe, you've embarked on a natural journey and would prefer a natural way to heal your body without succumbing it to harsh conditions. What if I told you there's something you can do that doesn't cost money, but it is definitely an investment on your part? THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL Did you ever have a...

Dear bacterial vaginosis, You started as a pain in my hoo-ha. I changed my entire life to accommodate you, or actually, to un-accommodate you. You are as stubborn as a Taurus and kept returning (have you ever debated with a Taurus?). Was it any coincidence that you returned after having sex with my husband? Or the day before and after my menstrual flow?  BV AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE I do not miss your fishy odor, or the itchiness that came sometimes. My self-esteem plummeted. I no longer felt sexual or even sexy. I began to feel shame towards my vagina, and that was a big mistake.  It took me 2.5 years to embrace you BV. It took me 29 years to embrace my present body. You serve as a constant reminder that my body is human, and that it's full of weird, inexplicable scientific wonders. You taught me that wellness was the key to embracing you. It was because of you that I dived deeper into the fleshy wonders that is this vaginal microbiome. Because of y...

Photo by  Daiga Ellaby  on  Unsplash "Ode to Household Vinegar" nose scrunched up at the slightest whiff air rushing out the nostrils to expel the smell eyes tearing angrily as if someone waved freshly cut onions it seems someone had opened a bottle of household vinegar. oh household vinegar, you've been taken for granted your pungent odor deters many people from using it they faint and gasp, holler and shudder  but little did they know just how versatile you are. that when diluted with water, you become an unstoppable force against stains, odors, grime, scum, and maybe even Thanos you de-mineralized and cleaned my electric water heater,  you deodorized and de-stained my stainless steel coffee mugs. putting the mixture in a spray bottle?  now we're getting somewhere and the tingling won't stop  use me, spray me on your walls and surface areas,  baby, even windows- spray them a...

You are not your emotions. You are not your thoughts. You are not your actions. What are you, then? Who are you, then? DOWN MEMORY LANE I remember maybe a year ago, I had a conversation with my younger sister about religion and spirituality. I'd always considered myself agnostic and so, I didn't identify with any particular religion. I don't know a lot about the differences even though I took a college-level course about world religions. My limited mind at the time wasn't ready to explore religion and spirituality. However, I found myself feeling drawn to spiritual literature as I became more engrossed with yoga. I wanted to know more. And yet, with everything I read, I seem to know less. AN ACT OF KINDESS I recently picked up A New Earth  from a kind stranger's home. I was already thinking about the ego and how it impacts our daily lives thanks to having finished  The Anatomy of the Spirit  by Caroline Myss, so when A New Earth  happened upon me,...

Bienvenue! 💜 I've just started my yoga training with BreatheForChange, a program that is geared towards educators. It's just like any other yoga training program but designed with educators in mind. During this journey, all participants will learn about the proper placement of yoga poses, mindfulness techniques, and SEL strategies for students / learners.  What's also special about this program is we will learn how to empower ourselves to lead the lives we want which in turn will inspire those around us to lead the lives they want. As Suli Breaks said, "Remember one hand washes the other before they can both wash the face." - " Friends "  What I truly want is to help others live the life they want - with yoga and wellness in mind of course!  Listen to your heart and your body. They will tell you everything you need to know. Trust yourself and trust the process. Okay, here's how I prepped for mine.  Step 1. Figure out what yo...

Sometimes, when the craving strikes, it strikes hard. That's right - I got a silpat mat. We fancy over here. Kapara woke up one morning and proclaimed that he would punch an old lady if he could have babka bread right then and there. Since babka bread did not magically appeared before us, an old lady somewhere was safe for the time being. I lamented that I was too lazy to bake...this was partially true. I needed to mentally prepare myself for such a task.  Be the dough, be one with the dough. Trust the process... Ugh, so supple beneath my fingertips... In kneading the dough, I learned I needed to trust the dough.  In finding the right balance between water and flour, I found more of myself.  Trust your instincts my gut tells me. Don't let anything or anyone else tell you if it's ready or not.   At one point, I wondered whether I was kneading babka bread or kneading an aspect of myself toward something better. Obvs, it was the latter! Life is met...

Photo by  Milan De Clercq  on  Unsplash If you're a teacher, a barista at a morning cafe, or Mark Wahlberg, you're probably an early riser. I typically wake up earlier than my spouse on the weekends, sometimes as early as 6 am. That's the teacher life for you. I would mosey along, maybe do some transcription work, maybe look for a website to test, or just browse for hours on end until noon when I would start my "work". I would feel halfway accomplished with my mornings. Then I stumbled upon a blog post about morning pages. One of the many blogs I follow, LittleCoffeeFox, wrote about how morning pages (from Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way ") helped structure her mornings more efficiently. Another inspiration came from a podcast episode of Better Leaders, Better Schools (http://better.libsyn.com/improving-your-communication-and-influence) where Daniel Bauer, my newfound mentor, interviewed the founder of Can Do You who discussed his mor...